Also, clinicians should determine whether the patient has medical conditions, such as HIV infection or diabetes, that increase the risk of latent TB infection progressing to TB disease.Ī physical exam can provide valuable information about the patient’s overall condition and other factors that may affect how TB is treated, such as HIV infection or other illnesses. It is also important to consider demographic factors (e.g., country of origin, age, ethnic or racial group, occupation) that may increase the patient’s risk for exposure to TB or to drug-resistant TB. People suspected of having TB disease should be referred for a complete medical evaluation, which will include the following:Ĭlinicians should ask about the patient’s history of TB exposure, infection, or disease. If TB disease is in other parts of the body (extrapulmonary), symptoms will depend on the area affected. If TB disease is in the lungs (pulmonary), symptoms may include: TB disease should be suspected in persons who have any of the following symptoms: TB disease is treated by taking several drugs as recommended by a health care provider. TB disease is diagnosed by medical history, physical examination, chest x-ray, and other laboratory tests. The decision about treatment for latent TB infection will be based on a person’s chances of developing TB disease by considering their risk factors. If a person has symptoms, but a negative TB test result, they should still be evaluated for TB disease.Ī diagnosis of latent TB infection is made if a person has a positive TB test result and a medical evaluation does not indicate TB disease. All persons with either symptoms or a positive TB test result should be evaluated for TB disease. These tests can take one to two months before results are available.Most persons, but not everyone, with TB disease have one or more symptoms of TB disease. They may also check your sputum (coughed-up mucus) for bacteria, to see whether you have clinically active TB disease and if so, which strain of TB you have. If the skin or blood tests indicate the need for further analysis, your doctor may order a chest X-ray or CT scan to look for visible signs of TB in your lungs. This information will be used to more precisely confirm or rule out latent or active TB. The TB blood test measures how your immune system reacts to the germs that cause TB. The skin test isn’t 100% accurate, meaning you may have a false-positive or a false-negative, so your doctor may order further testing regardless of the result. It does not tell whether you have developed clinically active TB disease. If it's positive, it usually means you have been infected with the TB germ. The healthcare worker will measure the bump or induration and tell you if your reaction to the test is positive or negative. It may be difficult to feel so an experienced healthcare worker should examine the reaction. You will be told to return to the office within 48 to 72 hours to have a healthcare worker check the arm to see if a bump or an induration (thickening) of the skin has developed. The skin test is done by injecting a small amount of fluid called tuberculin into the skin in the arm. ![]() ![]() If your doctor suspects TB, they may order a skin or blood test. ![]() During a physical exam, they will use a stethoscope to listen to your lungs and check the lymph nodes in your neck for swelling. Your doctor will start by collecting a patient history to determine if you may have been exposed. If you think you have been exposed to TB, get a TB test. These symptoms can also occur with other diseases, so it is important to see a healthcare provider and to let them find out if you have TB. Bone pain may mean that the bacteria have invaded your bones. Coughing up blood or mucus (sputum) is a sign of in TB of the lungs. You may experience other symptoms related to the function of a specific organ or system that is affected. Loss of appetite and unintentional weight loss.A cough that lasts more than three weeks.You may still have a TB infection, but the bacteria in your body is not yet causing harm. A person with latent, or inactive, TB will have no symptoms.
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